Daniel Craig

When Daniel Craig was formally announced as the new James Bond, debuting in Casino Royale, not all fans were delighted. But Craig proved them wrong, winning universal acclaim for his riskier, grittier Bondinexperienced, insecure and troubled by killing. Beginning with his early career, Daniel O'Brien traces the provocative choices Craig has made along the path to becoming one of the world's most famous film icons. When a BBC television performance brought film offers, Craig opted to co-star inLove is the Devil, as artist Francis Bacon’s violent, self-destructive lover. The much-deridedLara Croft: Tomb Raider film raised his US profile, but Craig passed on the sequel. His subsequent Hollywood career did not follow the expected route. O'Brien shows how Craig shunned lead roles to establish himself as a forceful character actor. InRoad to Perdition, Craig played a cold blooded child killer. Back in the UK, he co-starred inThe Mother, having an affair with a woman twice his age. His Hollywood choices remained dark and edgy: feminist hate figure Ted Hughes inSylvia and a troubled Mossad agent in Munich. Intriguingly, Craig avoids the show business circuit: "I don’t believe in self-promotion, really I can’t be arsed."